Terrible Airline Seating of the Future!

This seems highly questionable at best.

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ā€œā€¦ others recoilā€¦ convinced sitting underneath someone else would be worse, not better, than the current airplane economy set-up.ā€

Gee, ya think?

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Letā€™s see how many ways is that a huge NOPE:

  1. I am extremely claustrophobic. Getting on a plane at all is a big step. Sitting with a seat six inches from my face? And basically, blocked in? H*ll no.

  2. Iā€™m 5 foot 8 and I have a 6 foot 7inch husband. He is all leg. The length of his femur is longer than the space allowed now, and you want him to do that? Or worse, sit in the upper seat with zero leg room? Donā€™t think so, Tim.

  3. The plane still rocks even if there isnā€™t turbulence. If itā€™s ā€œprecariousā€ to get into those upper seats on a conference room floor, how is someone sitting in those upper seats going to get in and out while the plane is in flight? A clue? They are going to fall on the poor sod under them. (And god forbid, what about someone wearing a dress?)

  4. And speaking of falling, what about spilt drinks, spilt food, spilt diapers, from those upper seats to the folks under them?

Snaps to the guy for having some interesting ideas and trying to make economy travel better for us packed-in sardines, but this isnā€™t it. Though I guess it is better than the one wanting to create standing seats so the airlines could pack in even more people.

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There are many reservations that I have about these new seating designs, but this kind of stuff right here was at the forefront of my issues with this setup.

That, and the whole thing seems to SCREAM discomfort.

I look at this image, and right away, I see an airline experience that I simply do not wish to have.

Although Iā€™m not claustrophobic, to be jammed up against the top seat like that would freak me out something fierce.

Iā€™ll just walk or something.

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What gets me about this guy is that he says he learns from criticism, but he doesnā€™t address any of the criticism in the article. Precarious getting up to the top level? Nothing. Less overhead space? Well, he says that people canā€™t stand up anyway, so apparently the solution is to make it even worseā€¦and thatā€™s better? Claustrophobic on the bottom level (boy, howdy!)? Nothing. He just gushes about how this is better than current economy seating.

Iā€™m sorry, but I donā€™t see this as any kind of improvement. If the lower level were further away from the upper level, perhaps, but I agree with @optiMSTie that the position looks very uncomfortable on the lower level. And how do you get out of the lower level at all? Can you imagine a larger person trying to get in there?

This is terrible.

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Just showed this to my husband. His first response? How tall is she? 5 foot nothing? In that picture you have, he says his shoulders would hit around those upper black pads, meaning his head would be above the seat! And there is no way he could sit in the upper platform and not hit his head on the roof.

The problems of the person next to the window needing to get out would increase a hundredfold for both of those configurations. to paraphrase the words of Doctor Hammond from Jurassic Park, ā€˜Weā€™ll have landed by the time you get out.ā€™

No. Just no. Back to the drawing board, son.

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Oh, gawd, I didnā€™t even consider that.

nightattheopera

Thatā€™d be akin to the crowded cabin scene in A Night at the Operaā€¦

Iā€™m assuming that none of this happens without next-level yoga practice.

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This gives a better angle on the lower seats. So you can skooch across as you do now, but it looks like there is no support under your knees. Youch!

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Itā€™s meant for people without a lot of moneyā€¦ Small people with not a lot of money. (Yes, itā€™s still horrible.)

Iā€™m not a big person, and I would stick to regular coach.

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What if someone falls and injures themselves while trying to enter or exit an upper level seat? Or is tossed out during turbulence because they didnā€™t have their seatbelt fastened? How is a flight attendant or emergency responder supposed to quickly access a stricken passenger on either level in a medical emergency?

And this is all without saying a thing about how these seats would impact evacuation of the airplane in case of a catastrophe. Can you imagine people stepping (or jumping!) off the upper level seats onto people trying to leverage themselves up and out of the lower level seats in a smoke-filled cabin?

No, justā€¦ no. This concept shows little or no thought given to other practical considerations that airlines already have to deal with. Give me the standup seats over these anyday ā€” and I donā€™t want the standup seats, either.

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Not to mention, your heads on level with someone ass.

Thatā€™s what Iā€™d be thinking about the whole flight (itā€™s right there, I canā€™t get it out of my headā€¦ what if they ate at Taco Del Mar before boarding?) :wink:

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How quickly can you evacuate a plane like that if the cabin fills with smoke? What happens to peopleā€™s bodies (for now, letā€™s just consider heads and legs) in any sort of survivable accident?

Another thing: That ā€œleg spaceā€ would be filled with personal items, like purses, backpacks, briefcases.

And, another another thing: Looks much harder to clean a plane like that. Do you think an airline would say, ā€œItā€™s ok. Weā€™ll simply allow extra time to cleanā€?

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Just make the airplanes bigger, old chap.

image

Canā€™t foresee any major engineering issues.

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People donā€™t even know how to put their bags into an overhead compartment.* There is no way theyā€™ll be able to fit themselves in without a major ruckus. And even if they do know how to operate a step, I guarantee that most of the time someone is already sitting on the elevated aisle and will have to step down to let the elevated window passenger in, so now youā€™ve got multiple instances of this disaster.

* Oh, yā€™all are cool. Iā€™m sure members of this forum are smart enough to conquer the challenge of putting an object on a shelf.

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Letā€™s face it, they donā€™t give a toss if weā€™re comfortable on their planes. They know we donā€™t have a choice.

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I hope they paid that model extra for keeping a smile on her face.

Clearly, cryo-pods are the only real solution.

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Well, that tears it. The next time I leave my house will be when they carry me out feet first.

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How to make your ā€œmore efficentā€ airline seating more appealing.

  1. Find an attractive person of approximate height 4' 10" (145 cm) and weight 90 lbs (40 kg).
    • Person should be able to maintain a convincing smile even when subjected to a fair amount of pain. This is critical. Test this first.
  2. Attire person in bright-colored, non-bulky clothing.
  3. Only photograph one person, regardless of how many seats or rows are shown.
  4. Never photograph person trying to get in or out of said seating.
  5. Never show personal items such as a handbag or laptop case.
  6. Make sure all stowable features (such as tray tables, armrests and even other seat bottoms, if applicable) are fully stowed.
  7. Person must be posed with upper arms against their sides, and hands folded in their lap. A sincere, pleasant smile must be everpresent.
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Iā€™m launching a kickstarter to have this designer punched repeatedly in the nads. Him and every airline executive.

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Nah, just crowdfund a plane just like that, then make them and everyone who thinks itā€™s a great idea fly it exclusively. HAH.

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